Kendrick Meek: “I am just appalled to see what is going on here with the CR, particularly with education, and I do hope that the…”

“I am just appalled to see what is going on here with the CR, particularly with education, and I do hope that the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations and the majority party will consider the fact that if we do not do something to change the education system in this country, we will be doing more to promote the problems that we already have. Why should we retreat on education? We have never been fully funded on the State level or in this country for education. Therefore, I think it is criminal to cut these programs such as you have, particularly in areas where there are inner-city children, poor children, disadvantaged children. I would appeal to your sensitivity to human nature. You have cut title I programs when young students were getting a start in life. You cut Safe and Drug-Free Schools in some of these districts where the drug problem is really, really accelerating instead of decelerating. So you must know them, if you are ever going to have good programs, they must start in schools, they must start with education. To think that you are going to cut bilingual and immigrant programs when this country has added an influx, particularly in areas such as mine in Florida, the influx of immigrants, they must be educated, and that, I think, you should consider immediately. The vocational education has been cut. We have so many people who are jobless in this country.…”